Panathinaikos vs Chelsea prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-10-23 16:45.
[p]Matchday two of the UEFA Conference League presents Panathinaikos with arguably the toughest opponents they could face in this competition in the form of English giants and tournament favourites Chelsea. The Greens were left frustrated in their opening match as they were held to a goalless draw by outsiders Borac Banja Luka, so another negative result here could put their progression chances at risk.[/p]
[p]Diego Alonso’s men will hope home advantage works in their favour here as they bring with them a four-match unbeaten run in all competitions on their own turf (W3, D1). One thing Panathinaikos will have to overcome however is a miserable continental record over the years against English opposition, with just one of their 18 such matches ending in victory (D6, L11). [/p]
[p]They’re yet to face Chelsea, so the Blues will head to Athens for a first-ever H2H looking to respond after suffering their third competitive defeat of the season against Liverpool at the weekend. Head Coach Enzo Maresca defiantly stated he “really liked the performance” in spite of the loss, even though it stretched their winless run to two matches (D1, L1) since they defeated Gent in their Conference League opener.[/p]
[p]The Blues should retain confidence that they can avoid what would be a third set of back-to-back away defeats in this calendar year alone. That faith should be boosted by an unbeaten historical record against Greek opposition (W4, D2), though both failures to win did come on Greek soil. Irrespective of the result, there’s sure to be a sombre mood during the build-up as Chelsea help the hosts honour English-born Panathinaikos defender George Baldock, who played in their last Conference League game just days before his sudden passing.[/p]
[p]Key battle: It’s fair to say new Panathinaikos signing Facundo Pellistri hasn’t had the start he would’ve liked since arriving from Manchester United, but his only goal for the Greens arrived in a home Conference League qualifier against Lens back in August. He looks set to be marshalled by Chelsea wing-back Renato Veiga, who scored and assisted on matchday one against Gent and recently made his senior international debut for Portugal.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Panathinaikos scored after half-time in just one of their last six matches in all competitions.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher [/i][/p]